Thera 6.4: Kulla
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(213):Kulla Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter VI. Six Verses =213. Kulla= Reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthī in the family of a landowner, and named Kulla, he was converted by faith, and was initiated into monkhood by the Lord(Buddha). But he was often seized by fits of lustful passion. The Lord(Buddha), knowing his tendencies, gave him the exercise on foul things, and asked him to often meditate in the charnel-field(cemetry). And when even this sufficed not, he himself went with him and asked him to mark the process of putrefaction and dissolution. Then, as Kulla stood with heart disinfatuated, the Exalted One(Buddha) sent out a glorious divine image, producing in him such mindfulness that he discerned the lesson, attained first jhāna, and on that basis developing insight, won arahantship(enlightenment). Reviewing his experience, he breathed forth these verses, first speaking of himself (then repeating the Lord(Buddha)'s words and finally adding his own): ---- 393 Kullo sīvathikaɱ gantvā addasa itthimujjhataɱ,|| Apaviddhaɱ susānasmiɱ khajjantiɱ kimihī phuṭaɱ.|| || 394 Āturaɱ asuciɱ pūtiɱ passa kulla samussayaɱ,|| Uggharantaɱ paggharantaɱ bālānaɱ abhinanditaɱ.|| || 395 Dhammādāsaɱ gahetvāna ñāṇadassanapattiyā,|| Paccavekkhiɱ imaɱ kāyaɱ tucchaɱ santarabāhiraɱ.|| || 396 Yathā idaɱ tathā etaɱ, yathā etaɱ tathā idaɱ,|| Yathā adho tathā uddhaɱ yathi uddhaɱ tathā adho.|| || 397 Yathā divā tathā rattiɱ yathā rattiɱ tathā divā,|| Yathā pure tathā pacchā yathā pacchā tathā pure.|| || 398 Pañcaŋgikena turiyena na ratī hoti tādisī,|| Yathā ekaggacittassa sammā dhammaɱ vipassato' ti.|| || ---- 393 Kulla had gone to where the dead lie still And there he saw a woman's body thrown, Untended in the field, the food of worms.1 394 212 See the foul material body, Kulla, diseased, Impure,2 dripping, oozing, pride of fools.'3 395 Grasping the mirror of the holy Path(Dhamma), To win the vision by its wisdom revealed, I saw reflected there, without, within, The nature of this empty fleeting frame. 396 As is this body, so that one was once, And as that body, so will this one be.4 And as it is beneath, so is it above, And as it is above, so is it beneath. 397 As in the daytime, so is it at night, And as it was once, so will it hereafter be, And as it will be, so was it - in the past. 398 Not music's fivefold wedded sounds5 can yield Such charm as comes over him who with a heart Intent and calm rightly sees the Path(Dhamma)! ---- These verses were the Thera's declaration of aññā(supreme attainment). ---- 1 Cf. CXCVIII. 2 Cf. Sisters, xix.; D''hammapada Commy.,'' iii., p. 118 f., on verse 150. 3 Complacent in calling it 'I,' 'mine' (Commentary). 4 Cf. Sutta-Nipāta, verse 202. 5 Cf. p. 175, n. 1; and verse 1071. ---- =6.4 213 Commentary on the stanza of Kullatthera= The stanza starting with Kullo sivathikaṃ constitutes that of the venerable thera Kulla. What is the origin? This one also having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas accumulating acts of merit in this and that existence, was reborn in the family of an estate owner, in Sāvatthi, when this Buddha arose; having gained the name Kulla, he, on having attained the age of intelligence, listened to the truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Master, aptly gained pious faith and became a monk; he, however, was a born eagerly lusty (Tibbarāgajātika) individual owing to his being of lustful (rāga) conduct (carita). On that account forms of depravity (kilesā) remained (tiṭṭhanti) constantly. (abhikkhaṇaṃ) taking hold (pariyādāya) of his mind. Thereupon, the Master, having come to know the conduct of his mind, gave him mental exercise (kammaṭṭhāna) pertaining to unpleasant objects (asubha) and said thus: “O Kulla! You should always wander about on a tour in the cemetry.” He entered the cemetry, saw such unpleasant objects as these and those swollen corpses and so on had his mindfulness of unpleasant objects arise for that moment but was overwhelmed by lust for sensual pleasures (kāmarāga) but immediately after he had come out of the cometry. Again, the Blessed One, on having come to know that happening of his, one day, showed him after having oreated a recently dead beautiful young lady (taruṇitthirūpan), whose skin had not been spoilt (avinaṭṭhacchaviṃ) on the occasion of his having reached the cemetry region. Immediately on his having seen it there arose to him lust swiftly (sahasā) as if in the living lady of extraordinary (visabhāga) reality (vatthu). Thereupon, the Master showed him, while he was but looking on (pekkhanta) the corpse after having the same extremely despicable (bībhacchaṃ), foul-smelling, disgusting (jegucchaṃ) and loathsome (paṭikkūlaṃ), infested by insects and worm-kind (kimikalākulaṃ), whose impurities (asuci) were oozing and flowing out from nine openings of sore (vaṇamukha); observing pekkhanto) it, he remained having become detach (viratta)-minded. Thereupon the Blessed One spread out (pharitvā) His rays of light, arousing (janento) his awareness (sati) and said this stanza.-- “O Kulla! See the miserable (āturaṃ), dirty (asuci) rotten (pūti) heap (samussaya) oozing up and flowing out, which had been the enjoyment of the foolish people.” On having heard it, the thera, realising (upadhārento) the nature of the physical body (sarīrasabhāva) but rightly (sammadeva), aptly gained the perception (saññā) of unpleasant object (asubha) caused (his) first jhāna to spring up there, made that as (his) basis (pādaka), increasingly developed spiritual insight (vipassanā), attained Arahantship, reflected (paccavekkhitvā) upon his own proper performance (paṭipatti) and recited these stanzas by way of joyous utterance (udāna). 393. “Kulla went to the cemetry and saw a lady thrown away, descarded (apaviddhaṃ) in the graveyard, being bitten and pervaded by vermins. 394. “Afflicted (āturam) … having become the enjoyment of foolish people. 395. “Having caught hold of the mirror (ādāsa) of truth (dhamma), for the attainment of the insight of knowledge (ñānadassana), I reflected upon this body which is vain (tuccha) both within and without (santarabāhiraṃ). 396. “According as this (my body) likewise is this (dead lady); according as this (dead lady) likewise in this (body of mine); according as below likewise is above; according as above likewise is below. 397. “According as day, likewise is night; according as night, likewise is day. According as before, likewise is after; according as later likewise is formerly. 398. “By means of five kinds of musical instruments, such a one as you does not become delighted (ratī), according as when your one-pointed mind sees clearly (vipassato) the truth (dhamma) in a righteous manner (sammā). There, Kullo means: the thera speaks of but himself as if he were another (monk). Āturaṃ means: aptly afflicted (paṭipīḷitaṃ) always with several sorts of suffering (dukkha). Asuciṃ means: devoid of purity, disgusting and loathsome. Putiṃ means: bad smelling (duggandhaṃ). Passa means: look at it according to its nature. Kulla means: the Blessed One addressed the thera at the time of giving him (His) advice. On the occasion of making his joyous utterance, however, the thera spoke about himself but by himself. Samussayaṃ means: physical body. Uggharantaṃ means: impurity flowing (savantaṃ) upwards through the holes (mukha) of sores. Paggharantaṃ means: impurity flowing downwards on all sides through holes (mukka) of sores. Bālānaṃ abhinanditaṃ means: enjoyed by foolish blind common folks (puthujjana) with special joy of wrong view (liṭṭhi adhiṇandanā) and craving (taṇhā) after having adhered to it (abhinivissa). Dhammādāsaṃ means: mirror made of dhamma. According as, indeed, living beings see good (guṇa) and bad (dosa) points either on their own faces or on their bodies by means of a mirror, in the same manner, an earnest student (yojāvacara) sees deeds (dhamma) of self-depravity (saṃkilesa) and purity (vodāna) in his own body (attabhāva) consistently (yāthāvato); that knowledge of clear spiritual insight (vipassanā) has been said here as Dhammādasa (the mirror of truth); here, having made that mirror arise in my own system (santāne) for the achievement (adhigama) of spiritual vision (dhammacakkhu) reckoned as knowledge of the right path (magga) of the knowledge of insight (ñāṇdassana). Paccavekkhiṃ imaṃ kāyaṃ means: I reflected upon this wretched body as tucchaṃ, being devoid of essence (sāra) always (nicca). santarabāhiraṃ means: under the classification (vibhāgato) of one’s own bodily system (attasantana) and the bodily system of other people; I observed and observed again by means of my eye of knowledge. The stanza starting with “Yathā idaṃ” has been said in order to show it, according as I made my reflection, however. There, yathā idaṃ tathā etaṃ means: according as this unpleasant material (asubhaṃ) of mine reckoned as (my) physical body (sarīra) shows its doings (kiriyaṃ) in the likeness (upamaṃ) of deceptive appearance (māyā) in divers (nānā) details (vidhaṃ) owing to the non-disappearance (anapagamā) of life-span (āyu), heat (usmā) and consciousness (viññāṇa), but likewise was this dead body formerly owing to non-disappearance of those phenomena (dhamma). According as this dead body, at present, does not show anything to be done owing to the disappearance of those ingredients (dhamma), likewise, this body of mine also will become but ruined (nassate) owing to the disappearance of those ingredients (dhamma). According as this body of mine, at present, had not been dead and not laid to rest (sayita) in the cemetry. Has not reached such a state as being bloated and so on, likewise formerly was this one, though, at present is a dead body. According as, however, this dead body has, at present, been laid to rest (sayita) in the cemetry and has reached the state of having become swollen and so on, likewise will this body of mine become. In other words, according as this body of mine is impure, foul-smelling, despicable, loathsome, impermanent, painful (dukkha) and non-self (anaṭṭa), likewise is this dead body also. Alternatively, according as this dead body has but the nature of being dirty (asuci) and so on and is liable to be impermanent and so on, likewise is this body of mine also. Yathā adho tathā uddaṃ means: according as this body downwards below the navel (nābhi) is dirty (asuci), foul-smelling, despicable, loathsome, impermanent, painful (dukkho) and non-self, likewise (the portion of my body) above, from navel upwards has the nature of being dirty (asuci) and so on. Yathā uddhaṃ tathā adho means: according as (my body) above the navel has the nature of being dirty (asuci) and so on, likewise (the prition) below downward from the navel also. Yathā divā tathā rattiṃ means: according as this body, in the day time, has such an impurity flowing out as “Akkhimhā akkhigūthako (eye-dung from eyes)” and so on; likewise, at night also. Yathā rattiṃ tathā divā means: according as at night this body exudes umpurity likewise in the day also; there is no state of difference (aññathābhāvo) owing to classified division (vibhāga) of time; thus, is the meaning. Yathā pure tathā pacchā means: according as this body previously and formerly, at the time of a tiny baby (taruṇa) was dirty (asuci) foul smelling disgusting and loathsome, likewise as well afterwards at the time of old age (this body) has a tendency to be dirty (asuci) and so on, likewise, formerly at the time of being a tiny baby. Alternatively, according as formerly at the time that had past and at the time when alive (saviññāṇa) this body has the tendency to be dirty (asuci) and so on, the tendency to be impermanent and so on, likewise later in time to come, at the time of having become lifeless, devoid of consciousness; thus, in this manner, the meaning ought to be understood here. Pañcaṅgikena turiyena means: to the ruling man (issarajana) endowed with the bliss of sensual pleasures, being bemused by means of music endowed with five kinds of instruments (aṅga) in this manner: “Ātataṃ vitataṃ atatavitataṃ ghanaṃ susīraṃ (drum closed on one side, drum closed on two sides, drum closed on all sides, solid and hollow (susīra); tādisī means: shaped alike that (tathā), rati means there is no enjoyment (assādo) of happiness. Yathā ekaggacittassa, sammā dhammaṃ vipassato means: such a delight (rati) in dhamma as of a serious student (yogāvacara) who perceives the rise and disappearance (udayabbaya) of the aggregates (khandha) by means of spiritual insight (vipassanā) by having entered upon (paṭipanna) the process of cognition (viīthi) because of being single in taste (ekarasa) of controlling faculties (indriya) having made the yoking together (yuganaddhaṃ) the calm composure (samatha) and spiritual insight (vipassanā); the delight in sensual pleasure (kāmarati) does not come near a fraction of that (delight in dhamma) Indeed, this had been said by the Blessed One.-- “Since and whence he meditates upon the rise and disappearance of the aggregates (khandhas) he gains zest and elation and that immortality (amata) of those who have clear comprehension (vijānataṃ). These self-same stanzas but became those which exposed the Arahantship (aññā) of the thera. The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Kulla is complete. ----